Little things with big dreams... 5 out of 5 will go through!

THIS is sudden death!! For the first time ever (well this early) in this competition, they’re narrowing the Top 40 girls down to 20 with a do or die sing off. We’ll see 10 ladies perform tonight, and only 5 will be allowed to continue! DAAAANG… they better be on their A++ game! I hope they did good matchups, and didn’t put all the great people in one episode! Jimmy Iovine is in the audience.. shout out! He’s the tie breaker! He is like the official Idol mascot by now. Break a leg, ladies!Jenny Beth Willis has the first position of the evening, which will be difficult, but can also be helpful. She’s singing “Heaven, Heartache and the Power of Love”. She comes out twangy and strong, but soon finds some pitch problems. The song is kind of bumpety-bump-bump… a little boring! No real excitement going on, just the same tune all the way through. It ends with no bang either, unfortunate.. Jenny are you aware of who you share this stage with? She has a big note at the end, but it feels too little, too late. Keith says it was a great way to start the show but has mixed feelings because he’s not sure about the song choice for her, but loved her confidence. Nikki says she didn’t feel like Jenny came alive until the end. Randy says it was jerky, she never was in sync with the band, he wishes all of it was as good as the last note. Mariah says she should be more dynamic in the verses… love the technical feedback! Mariah always tries to give positive feedback… love that.

Teena Torres is the one who is such a big Mariah fan, she went to Camp Mariah when she was young! She’s 28 (!!) and doesn’t look it at all, thought this is her last year to do this. She goes into “Soulmate”… ehhhh doesn’t jump off like a firework. The first half is uneventful.. is she trying to be sultry? I don’t like her phrasing, she’s not on pitch. This is just not great. She starts to get shouty at the end and it’s even worse. By the end I feel glad that it’s over. Keith says it was beautiful… ??? RLY KEITH?? He says it was a deceptively big song and requires a lot of control, which she “mostly” had. Uhhh.. ok. Randy says “This is the start of the night.” RLY?? He loves that she connected with the song… I’m totally lost on Randy right  now. Mariah agrees that it was “ALL HER.” I am just not feeling that.

Adriana Latonio is next… who? I totally don’t recognize this girl at all. She’s singing “Ain’t No Way” by Aretha Franklin… so… dang.. big shoes to fill! She definitely is able to get into the song, I love her stage presence, she’s got the ‘performance’ part of this down. She connects to the music and it seems rather effortless for her. This performance wasn’t anything super amazing, but I thought overall she did pretty well. Keith says “NOW the night has started, Randy.” BOOM! He says he doesn’t want to react too much and make her “unhinge” her performance, but it was so good he couldn’t help himself. Nikki says she is tiny, but commands the stage when she walked out. She saw no fear in Adriana, and is poised and ready. Randy says she’s born to do it… loves the confidence. Mariah calls out that it was a huge song, but she rocked the song, and “worked it out.”

Brandy Hotard is at it next, singing “I Don’t Love You Anymore”. She seems… plain. I don’t know, nothing about this is jumping out at me… feels very so-so. Yes she’s got some big shouty notes, but nothing was very special about this. Maybe she wasn’t into it emotionally. Keith says he’s never heard a girl sing that song, but he said she had emotional connection inconsistency. She seemed to wane in believability. Nikki echoes Keith’s feedback, saying “that was a pageant delivery” of a song and it didn’t feel real. She felt she wasn’t truthful to the song. Dually noted. Randy said she didn’t have the right connection to the lyric, nor did it tell who she was or wanted to be. Mariah says that tonight is only one part, but that she’s been more emotionally connected in the past.

Shubha Vedula is singing Lady G’s “Born This Way”…. with a twist of course. She wants to stand out in this competition, and her twist on this song is… interesting. It kind of sounds like she’s added a little Indian flavor to the song. It’s got some weird twists and turns, she kind of raps a little in the middle, does a weird knees-to-the-middle bendy dance. It’s really strange, honestly. She’s not a bad singer, but with all this going on, I’m having a hard time following. The judges agree that it was “confusing” but Randy adds that she’s 17, and she shouldn’t have to overdo it. He loves her potential, and he’s still impressed. Plus what a fun name to say “Shubha Vedula!”

Kamaria Ousley has some experience i the “music industry”…. all I heard was “Diddy!” She’s from my town: Oakland, CA! Represent! She rolls into the song and it’s immediately pitchy. Woooahhh, this is tough. First of all what is this song?? It’s hard to listen to… she is really out of tune, pitch problems galore. Ack! That was terrible! Keith says “he’s not a big fan of unnecessary theatrical performance.” Randy says it never caught on, pitch was all over the place, worst performance of all! Mariah thinks she’s adorable however, and tells her to pick better song choices!

Kree Harrison is singing “Up To the Mountain” and as one of my increasing favorites in this competition, I’m SO GLAD she chose this song. At only 22, she’s already lost both of her parents. She has a great emotional connection with her music, and tonight is no exception. I love how she doesn’t have a pretense: she wears basic outfits, no glitz and glamour going on, nothing over the top. But she can belt it out! She sings this song so naturally and effortlessly… LOVE HER! Standing ovation from the judges. Keith says she is effortless and embodies the soul that country music should have. Nikki calls out that she has a mystery inside of her, and when she sings, she makes love to the song. Randy calls her a natural born singer… they say she doesn’t have to wear the outfit, do anything over the top, she connects with the lyrics effortlessly. WELL DONE! Mariah says she gets lost in her music because she’s unaffected…”it’s incredibly organic.” TOTES AGREE MIMI.

Angela Miller is the one that basically stopped time in the last show by singing an original piece at the piano. She was amazing so naturally I have high expectations this time. I’m not sure what song she’s singing, but it’s definitely not as good as last time. There is a lot of shouting going on, a weird breakdown in the middle, and a lot of “no, no, no’s” at the end. Keith says she has a natural gift, without overcompensating! Nikki says nothing can compare to her last performance, and that from here, she should not overdo it, and not try and force anything. Randy also names her as a favorite, and loves how she does her own original music. Mariah also gives her mad props for her original piece and they all say she should KEEP GOING!

Next up is first name wonder ISABELLE! She’s singing the amazing “God Bless the Child” as a soulful, bluesy rendition. She looks great, and can really belt it out. Overall, a pretty solid performance. No real crazy WOW moments for me, but no low points either. She is on pitch, and really digs deep at the end… love her growl! And the crowd goes wiiiild! Keith says that performance should be the key in the side of every guy who never asked her out’s car. BOOM! Nikki and Randy give her congrats and props on overcoming a massive weightloss and looking amazing. Randy says it was slightly old fashioned for him, Mariah clarifies by saying the arrangement may have been old fashioned, but the vocal was amazing.

Amber Holkam is the final lady of the night before the judges make their first round of cuts! SO SOON! This is not her first time at Idol Hollywood Week… she was cut at this point last season. She’s singing “My Funny Valentine” and even though I think this song is not special, and totally boring, her voice is amazing!! She needs to be singing some Brandy! All the judges love her voice, you can just tell by their faces. She is really singing the hell out of this song, what a powerful voice. Standing Ovation!! Keith says she made that song timeless, and that technically she was amazing, and her breath control was totally great. Nikki is wondering if her inner shine will shine through the tv. She wishes her inner shine would jump out more, but Randy says she needs to personally believe it wholeheartedly. Mariah says she should know how amazing her performance was, and she loved her interpretation of that song. “Congratulations on your talent.” LOL!

It is now time for the judges to give their results!! Up first: Jenny Beth. She says she’s feeling “okay”… Keith says she did a great job with the song she had, but the level of talent that came out after her was so high… it’s OVER for her! Brandy Hotard comes up next… and Nikki delivers the news for her. They feel she’s done really well so far, but it just didn’t work for Idol 2013. Well put. Teena Torres comes out next with her Michael Jackson sleeve. Randy says it’s an emotional night, but with 5 people on the out, it’s tough to have to eliminate anyone. She won’t have to deal with that though, because she made it through!!! Shocker there, I thought she’d be an easy out. Kree Harrison is up next. Mariah has the the joy of telling her she is SO THROUGH! Easy one! Isabelle hears that Keith thought tonight was a strong, powerhouse performance. He says they were very mixed on their voting tonight, but unfortunately it’s the end of her Idol road. Angela Miller seems like a shoe-in at this point…Nikki says after tonight, the world gets to decide, because she’s moving on!! Kamaria Ousley is next, and unfortunately she knows tonight was not her best performance, and knows she’s capable of doing better. Randy says that with 5 people having to go, she didn’t make it through tonight. She really has such a great confidence though, amazing stage presence. Amber Holkam is next… omg she BETTER MAKE IT! Mariah says theres a lot of factors that go into these votes, and plays up her being nervous tonight, but she’s going through!!! OMG I love her! With only one spot left, Adriana Latonio and Shubha Vedula can’t both go on. My feeling is that Adriana had the better night. They both stand in front of the judges… Keith says Adriana was stunning, Shubha was thoughtful… a “difficult decision.” Yea right: Shubha’s out.. Adriana is through!

Teena, Kree, Adriana, Amber, and Adriana have made it through! Ryan tells us that 10 of the guys will sing for survival tomorrow night, holla back!!